REGISTER FOR THE 2017 ANNUAL ASSEMBLY
We are only a few months away from the 2017 Annual Assembly, presented by the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) and the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA) taking place on February 22 to 25 in Phoenix, Arizona. This is a key event in the hospice and palliative care field, and the warmth of the Southwest United States in the middle of February makes it even more inviting. We set a record number of attendees last March in Chicago, and we hope to do the same in 2017.
The AAHPM/HPNA Annual Assembly is designed for nurses, physicians, and other health care providers interested in acquiring, maintaining, or expanding the skills needed to function effectively in the field of hospice and palliative care.
As leaders in promoting excellence in hospice and palliative care, HPNA and AAHPM combine their expertise to advance the field, thus meeting the shared goal of improving quality of life for patients and families facing serious illnesses or life-threatening conditions.
This annual 3-day event brings together more than 3000 of your colleagues and peers to share research, clinical best practices, and practice-related guidance to advance the specialty and improve patient care. To find out more about the AAHPM/HPNA Annual Assembly, visit the event Web site at http://annualassembly.org.
ACHPN AND CHPN REVIEW COURSES AVAILABLE AT THE ANNUAL ASSEMBLY
For some people, taking a course in person is better than taking a course online, especially when you are working to becoming certified as an advanced practice hospice and palliative registered nurse (ACHPN) or a certified hospice and palliative nurse (CHPN). That is why HPNA is glad to assist those who prefer a live review course by offering both an ACHPN Certification Review Course and a CHPN Certification Review Course as preconferences at the 2017 Annual Assembly, on Wednesday, February 22.
To register for one of these review courses, please visit the Annual Assembly Web site at http://annualassembly.org and find either course as a preconference.
HPNA ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT
The Annual HPNA Membership Meeting will be held on Friday, February 24, 2017, in Phoenix, Arizona, during the 2017 Annual Assembly, presented by AAHPM and HPNA.
NEW MEMBERS OF THE HPNA BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR 2017
We want to congratulate these four new members of the 2017 HPNA Board of Directors. They will begin serving on the Board in January. Elected to the board were the following:
* Beth Martin, RN, MSN, CCNS, ACNP-BC, ACHPN, who is a nurse practitioner with Palliative Medicine Consultants in Charlotte, North Carolina.
* Alicia Mooney, RN, MSN, CHPN, who is the manager of advanced illness and wellness at Community Health and Counseling Services in Bangor, Maine.
Appointed to the board were the following two candidates:
* Holli Martinez, FNP, BC, ACHPN, FPCN, who is the program director of the palliative care service at the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City.
* Polly Mazanec, PhD, ACNP-BC, AOCN, ACHPN, FPCN, who is an adjunct professor at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
HPNA BOARD OF DIRECTORS SEEKS NOMINATIONS
The HPNA Board Development and Leadership Committee is seeking nominations (including self-nominations) for individuals to serve on the 2018 Board of Directors. Full application details are available on the HPNA Web site at http://www.goHPNA.org.
HPNA AWARD WINNERS FOR 2017
We are proud to announce the following HPNA award winners for 2017, selected by the HPNA Board of Directors. These individuals will be presented their awards during the upcoming 2017 Annual Assembly, presented by the AAHPM/HPNA, taking place on February 22 to 25 in Phoenix, Arizona. Congratulations to all of this year's winners!
* Vanguard Award: Barbara Head, PhD, RN, CHPN, FPCN, of Louisville, Kentucky
* Distinguished Career Achievement Award: Kathy A. Kobler, MS, APN, PCNS-BC, CHPPN, FPCN, of Chicago, Illinois
* Distinguished Nursing Practice Award: Lolita Melhado, PhD, ARNP, FNP-BC, of Fort Myers, Florida
* Distinguished Researcher Award: Sally A. Norton, PhD, RN, FNAP, FPCN, FAAN, of Rochester, New York
* New Investigator Award: James Dionne-Odum, PhD, RN, ACHPN, of Birmingham, Alabama
TENTH ANNUAL HPNA CLINICAL PRACTICE FORUM
More than 200 nurses celebrated with HPNA at last month's Tenth Annual Clinical Practice Forum at the Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Not only did they celebrate the anniversary of the event and the 30th anniversary of HPNA, but did so in a hotel marking their 100th year in business in a city celebrating a 200th birthday this year. So there was plenty of anniversary cake to go around at this year's event.
Those who attended heard a variety of speakers and topics, including opening plenary Nessa Coyle on the State of the Art and Science of Palliative Nursing and with film director Carolyn Jones about her American Nurse project. Other topics included moral distress and self-care, working with specialized populations, bioethics, and using telehealth to assess wound care. Nurses could earn 13.0 Continuing Nursing Education credit hours by attending the full forum.
If you are looking to join us next year for Continuing Nursing Education on a great variety of topics, then mark your calendars. The Eleventh Annual HPNA Clinical Practice Forum takes place on Friday, September 14, and Saturday, September 15, 2017, once again at the Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh.
HPNA'S NEW CAREER WEB SITE A BIG SUCCESS
Since launching in mid-August, HPNA's new online career center and interactive job board has been a huge added benefit to HPNA members, and helps both employers and career seekers searching in the hospice and palliative field.
Members and nonmembers can use this new career center, which gives the organization an easy-to-use and highly targeted resource for online employment connections. Employers can post jobs online, search for qualified candidates based on specific job criteria, and create an online resume agent to email qualified candidates daily. They also benefit from online reporting that provides job activity statistics.
For job seekers, the career center provides access to employers and jobs in hospice and the specialty of palliative care. In addition to posting resumes, job seekers can browse and view available jobs based on their criteria and save those jobs for later review if they choose. Job seekers can also create a search agent to provide email notifications of jobs that match their criteria.
A link to the career center can be found at the top of every page on the HPNA Web site, or visit it directly at http://hpna.advancingexpertcare.org/careers/.
2017 END-OF-LIFE NURSING EDUCATION CONSORTIUM DATES AND LOCATIONS ANNOUNCED
We are happy to announce the upcoming dates and locations for the HPNA-sponsored End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) courses for 2017. They are the following:
* April 25 to 26, 2017, in Savannah, Georgia
* July 11 to 12, 2017, in Omaha, Nebraska
* October 17 to 18, 2017, in Buffalo, New York
For more information about our ELNEC courses, visit our Web site at http://www.goHPNA.org under "education" and "ELNEC."
HOSPICE AND PALLIATIVE CREDENTIALING CENTER EXAMINATION SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED FOR 2017
The Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Center (HPCC) announces that the computer-based testing schedule for 2017 is the same as it was this year, with four testing windows in March, June, September, and December. Shown hereinafter is a chart with the testing windows and application dates listed. This schedule is also available, with application deadlines and instructions that are posted in each credential's candidate handbook, which is available on our Web site at http://www.goHPCC.org under "Certification."
HPCC RECERTIFICATION
If you are due to renew your certification, visit the HPCC Web site at http://www.goHPCC.org under "Certification." Choose your credential and the "recertification" tab to learn about your renewal requirements and options for renewal.
If Hospice and Palliative Accrual for Renewal (HPAR) is an option for your certification, please note that various enhancements of professional development activities have been incorporated into the HPAR process for all certificants. This should provide more opportunities to demonstrate continuing competence. In 2016, all ACHPN, CHPN, and CHPPN recertifications are through HPAR because testing for recertification is no longer an option for these credentials.
Deadlines for 2016 recertification are quickly approaching, so be sure to visit our Web site for information on requirements and fees as soon as possible.
TAKE A SELF-ASSESSMENT EXAMINATION TO PREPARE FOR CERTIFICATION
Self-Assessment Examinations (SAEs) are learning tools available as Web tests on the Internet. They serve as practice tools to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a candidate who is interested in the certification and recertification process in hospice and palliative care nursing. Six SAEs are currently available. Visit our Web site at http://www.goHPCC.og under "Certification" and "Self Assessment Exams" for more information.
* Hospice and palliative advanced practice registered nurse SAE (APRN SAE)
* Hospice and palliative registered nurse SAE (RN SAE)
* Hospice and palliative pediatric registered nurse SAE (pediatric nurse SAE)
* Hospice and palliative licensed practical/vocational nurse SAE (LP/VN SAE)
* Hospice and palliative nursing assistant SAE (NA SAE)
* Hospice and palliative care administrator SAE (ADM SAE)
A portion of the cost of this examination is donated to the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Foundation (HPNF) to help support hospice and palliative nurses across the country.
EXAMINATION VOUCHERS ARE AVAILABLE
The HPCC has worked together with PSI Services-Applied Professionals, Inc, the testing company that manages our certification examinations, to create a voucher program for those purchasing examinations.
Third parties will now be able to purchase examinations by paying the full examination fee in advance and receive a voucher code for the purchasers to disperse to examination candidates. Those candidates will be able to input the voucher code when applying for their individual examinations in lieu of providing payment.
This program is available immediately. For more information on how to purchase multiple certification examinations, please see the informational document on our Web site at http://www.goHPCC.org under "Certification" or contact us directly either by email at mailto:[email protected] or by telephone at 412-787-1057.
HPCC CELEBRATES HOSPICE AND PALLIATIVE CARE MONTH
November is the National Hospice and Palliative Care Month, and we would like to honor the millions of nurses, nursing assistants, home care aides, therapists, social workers, and chaplains who make a significant difference for the patients and families they serve. Hospitals, home care agencies, and hospices across the country are reaching out to raise awareness about the highest quality of care for people coping with serious illnesses.
Honor yourself or your certified nursing team members with a certification pin. The pins are available for purchase for all certificants in all seven HPCC certifications. Wear your credential with pride! To order, please visit our Web site at http://www.goHPCC.org under "Certification" and "Resources" or call the national office at 412-787-1057 for further information.
"CERTIFICATION IS TRANSFORMATIONAL" APP
You know these facts. However, do your patients and their families know?
* Certified nurses have demonstrated their knowledge through a rigorous examination, a process that includes qualifying by meeting practice or education eligibility criteria and then maintaining their credential through a reassessment of that knowledge throughout their career.
* Certified nurses choose to seek certification, where they demonstrate their expertise, knowledge, and commitment.
* National certification is the only way to have nursing specialty knowledge validated by an impartial third party.
* Certified nurses must maintain their core specialty knowledge base and keep up with the changes in health care through ongoing targeted education and continuing competence assessments.
The HPCC was pleased to help promote some of these points as a part of the 2015 national consumer awareness campaign-"Certified Nurses Are Everywhere!" This national public service announcement endeavor encompassed broadcast and cable television, Internet ads, and transit ads in major designated market areas across the country and helped promote the importance of certification.
As a continuation of this message, 2016 brought a new campaign, titled "Certification is Transformational." Nurses can talk about how certification has affected their nursing career, enhanced collegial and interprofessional relationships, improved the ability to effect change in the workplace, and provided opportunities to serve as an advocate for quality and safe patient care.
The video stories that will be connected by the app will be shared on a video wall, social media, and a variety of certifying organizations' Web sites. Some of the stories will be edited into one cohesive message for the "Certification is Transformational" message. So take a moment to download the app and share a story about how becoming certified has helped transform your career and has impacted your life.
The Certified Nurses app is free and available through iTunes and Google Play. For more information on the campaign, visit our Web site at http://www.goHPCC.org under "Advocacy" to find out more.
NESSA COYLE PALLIATIVE NURSING LEADERSHIP FUND
The HPNF is proud to announce the creation of the Nessa Coyle Palliative Nursing Leadership Fund. The purpose of this fund, in honor of a pioneer in palliative nursing and the ultimate clinician scholar, is to develop and support leadership skills in hospice and palliative nurses, from the bedside to the boardroom.
Palliative nursing leadership is not only a fundamental aspect of health care reform but also a necessary ingredient of quality palliative care. Through enhanced palliative nursing leadership, the specialty of palliative nursing contributes to the realization of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Triple Aim, namely, better care, better health, and lower cost.
For more detailed information on this new fund, please follow this link: http://advancingexpertcare.org/nessa-coyle.
HPCC CERTIFICATION PINS
Certification pins from HPCC make great holiday gifts! Honor yourself or your certified nursing team members with a certification pin. These pins were redesigned in 2015 and are available for all certificants. Wear your credential with pride! To order, please visit our Web site at http://hpcc.advancingexpertcare.org/hpcc-certification-pins/ for more information or call the national office at 412-787-1057.
APPLY FOR THESE AVAILABLE SCHOLARSHIPS, GRANTS, AND AWARDS
Financial assistance has been given by HPNF to many attendees of our conferences and educational programs, including the Annual Assembly, Clinical Practice Forum, HPNA-sponsored ELNEC classes, and more. The following are the most current opportunities available:
* Certification scholarships: These are for those who are seeking HPCC certification or recertification during the year and are available all year long. Visit "Certification" on our Web site for more information. Application deadlines will be on the first of every month.
* 2017 AAHPM/HPNA Annual Assembly scholarships: There are 10 scholarships available for this year's Annual Assembly this February in Phoenix, Arizona. The application deadline for these scholarships is January 1, 2017.
* Judy Lentz Scholarship for the Advancement of Palliative Care in Oncology Nursing: This scholarship winner gets an AAHPM/HPNA Annual Assembly registration, travel expenses, and a 1-year HPNA membership. The application deadline is January 1, 2017.
There are plenty of opportunities available for hospice and palliative nurses to attend the programs that can help advance expert care in our field. Visit http://www.goHPNF.org for details, eligibility criteria, and application materials for all of our upcoming scholarships, grants, and awards.
HPNF NEEDS YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS
To bring you these scholarships, grants, and awards, the HPNF needs your support. Visit our Web site at http://www.goHPNF.org, where you can research our giving opportunities and donor circles, or type in this URL, https://www.hpnf.org/donate.aspx, to make your gift now. Thank you!